A pin router is a wood working machine tool used primarily for cutting a wood workpiece to the shape of a template. The router conventionally is mounted below the upper surface of a table which supports the workpiece and has an opening through which the rotatable router bit extends.
A template conventionally is secured to the upper surface of the workpiece and has a configuration corresponding to that which is to be reproduced on the workpiece. The template and workpiece together are moved past the router bit so as to follow the contour of the template as the workpiece is cut.
In some router constructions the bit is partially covered by a rotatable sleeve which is capable of engaging the template to protect it from being cut by the bit. This kind of construction is considerably more expensive than bits which do not include the sleeve. Furthermore, the bearings used to mount such sleeves often become clogged with sawdust and bind, thereby preventing relative rotation between such sleeve and its bit.
An object of this invention is to overcome the disadvantages referred to above of the known constructions.